Crown wins factory award

The manufacturing centre in Sculcoates Lane has been awarded the Coatings Care Overall Best Performer Award by national trade body the British Coatings Federation.

Judges gave the award to the Hull site based on their improvements in energy use and waste management, with waste to landfill recorded as zero.

Ellis Mudd, site manager at Crown Paints in Hull, said: “We are delighted our work in such wide-ranging and important areas of the business has been recognised.

“We are committed to sustainable manufacturing and the award is a big boost to us on that journey.”

The award recognises an innovative approach at Crown Paints, which has included the introduction of Nimtech, a social enterprise providing employment opportunities for the hard to reach and long-term unemployed.

Providing the business with waste recovery and recycling services across the UK – the Nimtech programme was originally introduced to the company’s Darwen headquarters in 2012, before expanding to Hull two years ago.

Nimtech works closely day-to-day with the manufacturing team on site at Hull to ensure the maximum amount of waste can be re-used and recycled.

The UK paint manufacturer introduced the partnership as part of its Earthbalance sustainability programme, which focuses on changing the way the company does business in terms of social responsibility, the environment and the economy.

The partnership with Nimtech supports the circular economy, a key element of Earthbalance.

This represents a move away from just making, using and disposing of goods and instead keeping them in use for as long as possible, and then recovering and regenerating the associated products and materials accordingly.

Community is also an integral element of the Earthbalance programme, reflected in Crown’s support for Hull UK City of Culture 2017.